The Mundane

I picked up some virus this last week. I dread knowing that I'm coming down with something, especially with the current hysteria over the pig flu, as Dean calls it. I looked up pig flu symptoms with Dean, and certainly had some of them (muscle/joint aches, fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headache), but not the quick onset, so who knows if it's "just" a cold, or worse. The worst fear, of course, is passing it on to Tristan, which unfortunately I did. He's a day or two behind me in the course of it. It's always so sad to see little babies sick. He's a champ right now, though, with a mild fever, cough, and runny nose. He hasn't been fussy over it at all yet. This is the first time he's been sick. He and I stayed home from church, which was too bad because it was the annual Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation. I was looking forward to that. Apparently, the swine flu may not be severe; in fact the site I read from said that most cases have been mild. Hopefully it passes soon, whatever it is.


We were alerted last week by the primary president at church that Hunter was perhaps too zealous in his singing. After some input from some wise ladies (Kristen and Shayna), Dean made the decision that Hunter should sing however he desired (he desired to be the loudest). Dean was told in the MTC how awful his singing was, which really shot him down, and he hasn't had any desire to sing since (although he does dutifully sing at church; his singing isn't awful, either, he just hasn't been trained like so many people who are raised in the church). Kristi reported that, indeed, it was noticeable when Hunter didn't know the words, because that was the only time he couldn't be heard as the children sang.


In other news, Dean left this afternoon for Fort Eustis, VA (several hours away). He will be attending a "Serve Safe" training through Wednesday, then travel home Thursday. It's kind of funny (to me) that the vets oversee food inspection (much like health inspectors) for the military. I learned a lot of this kind of stuff in my college coursework for nutrition, but not nearly as in depth as he has. He's had lots of training in it in the 14 months he's been in the army.

Since he never reads the blog, I'm safe to say that it is actually a nice break occasionally to have a little mini vacation of my own when he's out of the house for a few nights. Then I don't have to worry about respectable dinners (who wants cereal?!) and having bananas constantly in stock (hehe) and can waste away my nights doing whatever, then hog the whole bed to myself (and Baby). Of course I'll miss him, and be glad when he's home.

On a side note, he was supposed to have deployed yesterday to Iraq for a year. I was well aware of that yesterday, and he mentioned it today as he left. Whew, that was a close one! Though it could still happen if he stays in the military. His knee/torn meniscus, the reason he's not being deployed, is still in bad shape. He goes to physical therapy which is supposed to keep the muscles built up around the knee. Apparently they go quickly with knee injuries. At his last appointment with the orthopedist, he was told it would probably need surgery since it's not healing. If he walks much, or especially if he uses stairs, it swells and hurts. He does his situps and pushups and uses an elliptical to work out and keep up that sexy army figure and his weight down since he can't run.


One thing (of many) I've resisted buying for the boys until recently has been light sabers, you know from Star Wars. It seems everyone has them. They looked like just another big whacking stick (as we call such objects) for the boys to beat eachother and the house with. But of course they've always lusted after them and enjoyed them at other people's homes. So, dearest Heidi invited Hunter over for a showing of Star Wars Clone Wars with Lincoln and other friends, and light sabers were welcome. So, without telling him, I got one for him, and he was delighted to use his allowance/birthday money to buy it from me. He's actually been protective of it (meaning he doesn't want Kyler to break it), and makes a point of not leaving it outside, which is notable. The first night, Kyler ended up with a bloody nose and cut lip. Hunter didn't mean to do it, but that's what happens when boys have big whacking sticks. I asked him what the consequence should be, and he said I should take it away for a week. That sounded reasonable, so it went high up in my closet. The next day I found the step stool in my closet, but alas the little people (namely Kyler) still aren't able to reach, even with a step stool, so there it stayed all week. On the appointed day, I put it up on the grandfather clock in the living room, which holds many confiscated items, to see what would happen. I didn't say a word, but Kyler's awfully keen and soon the step stool was next to the grandfather clock and the light saber was gone. They've been enjoying it since, and Hunter even shares it.



I also broke down recently and let the boys buy (again, with their own funds, to help them appreciate it more) a used game cube and a couple of games. I have always vowed to never have such things in my home. I don't intend to raise video game junkies. But, I thought it would be a good motivator, and it is to some degree (not as much as I had hoped). I keep it in my bedroom so I can monitor it well. They haven't seen TV in quite a while, as the cord I detach from it when they lose the privilege is in a nice safe place right now, unbeknownst to us all :)

I'm throwing in some gratuituous and irrelevant pictures since this is a long, boring post and I get complaints when there are no pictures:) The first one highlights Kyler's photography skills, Hunter being the subject. For some reason Kyler feels more secure being naughty under the couch (if he gets hold of my camera, he'll go under the couch and take scores of useless pictures - this being a better one). He also goes under the couch to eat contraband candy if he has climbed into the cupboard or on top of the fridge to get it. Then he throws the wrappers on the floor under the couch.

Here's Tristan looking nervous while Kyler holds him.

And here's the illustrious Kyler trying to finish his sandwich at Arby's so he can have some beloved french fries.

Picture Overload

We spent some time outside doing yard work. It has been a brisk fall the last week or so.

Mr. Wiggly Worm thinks he's pretty clever now that he can squirm out of the carseat.

He is not distressed by it, just likes doing it every few minutes.

Kyler wanted to be swaddled like Baby.

Hunter likes holding Tristan.

I have never much been inclined to go to Time Out for Women, put on by Deseret Book, but this year when asked about it, I was delighted at the opportunity. I didn't know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised that it was fantastic. It was nice to get away, and hang with these fabulous ladies (Natalie, Priscilla and Summer). Apparently I'm the shortest of the group. We traveled about five hours to Richmond, VA for the event.

I had to take Tristan along, of course, and he was a champ 99% of the time. The ladies all took turns holding him during the program to keep him happy.

The boys are excited about all the baby toys that are emerging from storage in the garage, and enjoy them as much as the real baby.

Here's a momentary shot from our General Conference viewing at home :)

The boys always love pumpkins (and squash masquerading as a pumpkin). Kyler gathered these together and lined them up.

Here is some of the last of our harvest for this year - some jalapeno peppers, a small honey dew and a tomato. We still have tomatoes and peppers on the vines - until they freeze. It has cooled down over night here.

More Requested

Blogger is cooperating, so here are some more pictures of my little sweetie. He does smile, but I am not skilled enough to get him to smile while I try to take his picture. His only fault is that he scratches his face often. I can't clip his nails fast enough. Funny thing, though, he doesn't cry when he does it. Kyler would cry and cry as he did it, as it certainly hurts! I really love this little outfit he's wearing... I think he kind of has my nephew Isaac's eyes, or at least a similar look as when he was a baby. Otherwise most people notice that he takes after Dean and Hunter.

Baby Pictures

I'm way behind on blogging. Right now I'll just throw in a picture of little Tristan (I can't resist the request:). I would post more but blogger is having issues apparently. He's about 3 1/2 months now, and a true delight - as long as he's not hungry. His eyes seem to be brown, but sometimes look grayish. His hair has been growing in nicely on the top, which hides the cradle cap. He had some fairly long hairs on top when he was born, that fell out within a week or so; there is a lot of nice, long hair at the base of his neck since birth. He sleeps well through the night, just grunting and smacking his lips a couple of times to be fed, which works out well for us both. I am a mess by morning if he doesn't feed overnight. We are so blessed to have him!


We blessed Tristan at church on September 27, and this little sweater outfit is what he wore.

An Acronym for Everything

So this morning as we were eating breakfast at 7:30 Dean mentioned that their unit was traveling to Wilmington, NC to see the battleship North Carolina, about an hour away. It is called a "Staff Ride", basically a field trip to foster camaraderie. I didn't have anything going on today, other than feeding the missionaries this evening, so I asked if I could tag along, which he said would be fine. I managed to get showered and get the boys ready and to the base just after 8:30. Civilians can't ride in the "GOVs" (government-owned vehicles), so he rode with me, Kyler and Tristan in our "POV" (privately-owned vehicle). Before we left I asked in jest if he would be embarrassed to be seen with me since I still have a bit of post-baby weight to lose. He laughed and said he had just learned a new term, a "CD". That would be a "chubby dependant".

In the first picture, Kyler had his "sword" - actually a honing thing for knives, not sharp or anything, and was waiting for a victim to come out of the back door at Dean's work as we waited for everyone to be ready to go. Then Kyler moved on to table dancing in the next picture, as Dean conducted some official business on the phone while a computer dude was working in his office. If you're concerned, Dean is in a "no cover" (hat) zone there. When they are outside they are required to wear cover when in uniform, but they pass from one part of the building outside then inside again to another part of the building... and don't have to wear cover or salute there, since they go back and forth all day... Kyler did actually poke the Sergeant First Class with his "sword" (who took it in stride), at which point Dean confiscated it.

Here are Kyler and Dean on the deck of the USS North Carolina.

And Tristan was an angel the whole time! Afterward we all ate at Sticky Fingers, a barbecue joint. I had a potato stuffed with pulled pork and topped with melted cheese - yum! Dean rode back with the soldiers; I had to rush home to meet Hunter from the bus.

"Thank You"

For the first time in memory yesterday, Hunter thanked me for making a yummy dinner. He is the pickier of the two boys and rarely gives compliments, at least to me. His list of dislikes includes tomatoes - he surely gets that from me, which I read in the newspaper a few years ago that "they" have found a gene for liking or hating tomatoes; mushrooms - definitely at the top; and meat - unless it's a burger, hot dog, sauage, chicken nuggets, etc. He thinks he's crafty, of coure, and recently he came in for Sunday dinner. I told him his plate was in the kitchen, but there seemed to be a delay in his getting to the dining room. I knew to have a look and sure enough the meat was missing from his plate, pot roast if I remember right. We gave him a small portion to begin with, but he still thought it was a good idea to chuck it in the trash. I had him retrieve it...

Anyway, I made my favorite quick meal last night. Dean was out with the missionaries and had already eaten leftovers. So I love to throw a can of refried beans in the microwave (beans removed from the can, of course), some corn tortillas in the toaster oven, and cook some eggs on the stove top. Smear the beans on the warm tortillas, top with egg, cheddar cheese, and some El Pato, salsa, enchilada sauce or whatever I have on hand for the mature palates, and we have what I call "Huevos Becky", in five minutes. We ate that a lot while Dean was gone earlier in the year. It's terribly healthy, in my opinion, gluten free - which I've been working on better of late, we all love it, and I always have those things on hand. A variation is "Mexican Hamburgers": omit the egg and top the beans with a (cooked) hamburger patty (cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato as desired), serve with your favorite papas (potatoes). A flour tortilla may be used, though I have moved away from them (white flour and shortening/lard - nothing healthy there).

Tards no more

Until very recently Kyler was unable to say the "k" sound. He couldn't really even say his own name. When people would ask what his name was, he would always say "Tyler, with a tay". I think my mom worked on it with him while she was here, or at least that's the story Hunter tells. Kyler said some funny things all this time, such as "tards" for cards. It was cute, but I guess he's growing up - he turned 4 yesterday after all. He never really knows how old he is, perhaps because he doesn't know what that means. For the longest time when people asked him how old he was he would say "six and a half". That was long before Hunter was ever six and a half, so I'm not sure where he got that. Now when people ask him, he asks me.

So yesterday morning we told him it was his birthday, and he said "I know". He always "knows". So I took him to Dean at work while I did a little shopping to get him a few things, and he and I made a birthday cake for him. I used a fun pan set that Penny gave me with which you can make a filled cake. I had pudding mix on hand, so that's what I used. I had to use two cake mixes to have enough batter for all the layers. I didn't realize that I was nearly out of powdered sugar, so I had to borrow some from Kristi to make the frosting - thanks! Kyler put the candles on the cake himself, so there are a few extra. Hunter has uncontrollable urges to blow out candles, so I had to hold him back so Kyler would have a chance.

Mysterious Ways

A hint or two had been dropped lately about Dean possibly getting a new calling. He's been a counselor in the Elder's Quorum in our ward. So on Saturday night he got a phone call wanting him to be early at church to meet with a stake guy. He was called to be the executive secretary to the bishop, which he actually thought might be what was coming. So when he was to be set apart, the bishop told us that for months Dean's name came to mind when he thought about needing to call someone to that, as the former one is now deployed. But the bishop also knew that Dean was scheduled to be deployed in October, so he didn't understand how it could be Dean. Then a while back we were chatting with the bishop and mentioned the debacle of army combatives and Dean's knee injury and how it could potentially keep him from being deployed. So on Sunday the bishop said that when we were chatting he had to subdue the urge to grin from ear to ear and hope he wasn't deployed. He said that clearly the Lord knew that that was going to happen (didn't cause it, but knew it was coming) and that was why he kept coming to mind as the person to fill the spot, even when it made no sense.

AND, after being most impressed with Bro's iPhone when we saw him at his wedding, Dean decided he had to have one as well. After all, he wanted to organize his own calendar and work schedule (he has something different going on every day), and be able to access his work email when the network is down at the office, or when he's sitting around waiting for an appointment or whatever... He got the iPhone just a few days before the calling. It was definitely meant to be. Now he can keep track of the bishop's schedule and all that as well and be efficient.

Wedding Bells

"Uncle Dusty" or "Uncle Bro" as he's known around here got married on Saturday, Aug 22 near Los Angeles, CA. He is Dean's brother, and we are so happy for him and Auntie Patti. The wedding was absolutely beautiful.




Hunter was the ring bearer, and thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the flower girl. He performed his duties with style. While walking down the stairs to the reception to be introduced with the wedding party, he danced like John Travolta. With all his move busting he tumbled on the last stair or two, but quickly popped back up and finished his grand entrance.

Tristan was a hit with everyone and was on his best behavior. Considering that it was nearly 1am for us by the time we left the reception, Kyler and Hunter behaved tolerably - they could have been worse. Besides the flower girl, ours were the only children in attendance.

Here we are with the groom, Grandma Dee and David.

While in the area, we were able to see from a distance (behind Hunter's shoulder) the light house that Grandpa Norm (Dean's late father) lived in for a couple of years as a teenager when his father was in the Coast Guard there.


We flew overnight with a connection on the way back, which was hard on everyone, including poor Kyler here at the gate in Atlanta. It was a struggle to stay awake for the drive home from Raleigh on Sunday morning, but we made it and slept all afternoon. For the flight to LA, there was a loose screw on a panel of the plane which set off an alarm when they closed the doors before takeoff. We sat on the plane for a couple of hours while they tried to fix it, missing our connecting flight. We got rerouted through JKF in New York, and finally got to LA about eight hours late. Ugh.

Second grade, here we come!

Hunter's first day of second grade was on Tuesday, Aug. 25. He didn't seem very excited, but willingly went through the motions. I remember very little from kindergarten and first grade; but I do remember second grade pretty well, so this seems like a milestone to me. We waited about 20 minutes for the morning bus; I expected some delays since it was the first day. I wore Tristan in a Bjorn, and Kyler did his usual rolling in the dirt and running into the road while we waited. The afternoon bus was about 35 minutes late! Hopefully it gets better soon. He didn't have much to say about school. We went to the open house the day before and met his teacher and saw his classroom. His spelling words that came home on Tuesday were way too simple: I, was, saw, etc. Hopefully his teacher will do like Mrs. Cowart did last year and separate the kids into two groups, and give him words that he will actually have to learn.

I am excited to have somewhat of a schedule again, and to get back into a daily routine. It is certainly much more peaceful without him and Kyler at eachother's throats all day. I lament that they fight so much, and am trying to figure out a solution. I've just about nipped Hunter's tattling in the bud: he "gets" to pull 100 weeds every time he tattles. The weeds desperately need to be pulled, and it is his "choice" to pull them. Once he pulled a few hundred, he decided it usually wasn't worth the tattle, though he's still not 100%, but the difference in my sanity is huge! Kyler actually seems to appreciate him once he is home from school, and they've been playing together more peacefully. Yesterday he was outside to pull weeds. Dean pulled in the driveway from work and saw Hunter lying on the ground not moving, and wondererd if he should be concerned. Hunter had fallen asleep, in the heat and humidity, no less. He denies it up and down, but Dean says there is no doubt. He, of course, says every night that he's not tired, and tries to stay up past his bed time, and likes to read by the hour in his bedroom. I can't fault him for wanting to read...

Exciting stuff

Dean started having the symptoms of the crud on Saturday, then was worse on Sunday so stayed home from church. Monday morning he was terrible so I took him to sick call on the base. They gave him fluids and some anti nausea meds, but no shots or anything like I got, so he was pretty miserable and slept most of the day. The PA he saw seemed to think it might be the rotavirus, which is pretty nasty all right. Hunter got it as a toddler and the manifestations we've been having (high fevers and explosive GI disturbances) are pretty much what Hunter had then. They said we likely picked up the bug from the kids - you know how they carry around germs; of course they didn't get sick.

So Dean checked his work email late afternoon. His sports medicine and orthopedic doctors had said last week he wouldn't be able to go to the pre-deployment field training in late Sept/early Oct because of his knee injury, so his commander yesterday declared him unable to be deployed later in October. Well, shucks. We're awfully disappointed around here, if you can't tell. That changes a lot of army things for us right now, which is fine.

How to lose 9lbs in 3 days

Dean had a four-day weekend to use from Aug 1-4, which was right over our birthdays on the 3rd and 4th. We don't often plan ahead of time, but were thinking we'd go on a little vacation. But he didn't put in to be able to travel more than 250 miles, (Army rules) so we were a little limited. But, we decided, who wants to travel so far with small children anyway, and we started looking closer. Ultimately we settled on doing a "stay-cation", where we just did day trips or saw things locally. That way we got to stay in our own beds at night and didn't have to pack much.



So Saturday we drove up to New Bern (about 40 miles from here) and saw the Tryon Palace. Mr. Tryon was the first governor of the state back in the revolutionary days. It was interesting, and we even saw a mock wedding of some of his "staff". It was performed by the blacksmith, in front of an anvil.

I wore Tristan in a Bjorn, and Dean managed the other boys.

It actually hurt Dean's knee more to be in the car than to walk around, so we made a good decision in not traveling far. Sunday we went to church as normal, and had some friends over. Monday all we could come up with was going to pick blueberries for the last time. It's not too much fun in all the heat and humidity, but we managed five pounds to beef up our freezer supply here at the end of the season. We went to dinner as a family and had Thai food.

Tuesday we went to Wilmington, which is over an hour away, to go to a water park - a first for the boys. Dean took each of them for a ride in a go cart as well. It was all a hit, except that of course I ended up sitting around most of the time holding Tristan and keeping him out of the sun. Kinda boring. But, things got exciting mid afternoon when I started to get sick. By the time we were driving home after some errands at 8pm, I just wanted to die. I had developed a terrible stomach flu, complete with the worst chills and headache I've ever had, plus body aches, stomach cramps nearly as bad a labor pains and general horribleness (not to mention the stomach issues). I hoped it would only be a 24 hour bug, and first assumed it was food-borne illness (maybe the Thai food?), but no one else was sick and everyone had sampled mine.

By Thursday I was down about 8 pounds and absolutely miserable. I had had Dean hook up the TV so the boys would be kept busy (they normally only get to watch when their bedroom is clean, which is almost never). I've been able to nurse Tristan, somehow, which is a blessing. I finally called the nurse advice line, and the nurse asked if I was dizzy upon standing, which I was a little, so she said to go to the ER. Dean had to come home and load us all up so we could go sit around a few hours there. They decided it was just a bug that had to run its course, but gave me two shots, one for the headache, and I can't remember what the other was for, and some anti nausea meds. I had been taking tylenol and advil alternately to keep the chills and aches at bay. By Friday evening I was perking up a bit, but still not well enough to be up and about. Dean has been a champ and has been doing the dishes and providing meals (mostly fast food or take out).

So, as of today/Saturday, I'm down about 9 pounds. The only silver lining of all this would be that this would stay off, as my post-baby weight loss has plateaued already. I tried on some jeans today that I wasn't able to wear a few days ago, and got them on. Wow. I really don't recommend the diet, though!!!

Oh, dear

So I went shopping at the commissary yesterday, with all kids in tow. Oh, the joy! The boys helped bring it all in once we got home, which was nice. But toward the evening, I kept wondering in the back of my mind where all the produce was. I figured it must have ended up in one bag. At the commissary, they have baggers who bag it all and take it to the car for you, and load it in the car; their only wages are tips. So, I decided that somehow the bag of produce must not have made it home, and I was all geared up to call the commissary and pitch a fit in the morning. Before I went to bed I saw a paper bag with newspapers in the top sitting on the coffee table in the living room (remember the boys helped). I assumed it was my bag of newspapers (that I don't recycle), and it felt pretty heavy, so I decided it must be time to take it out and throw it in the garbage bin since it was trash night. Then today when I saw the real bag of newspapers right where it should have been (not on the coffee table) I finally had an epiphany, that in fact, it must have been my bag of produce that I threw out!!! So devastating! I work so hard to scrimp and save on groceries and get the best deals on produce, and managed instead to throw out a bag of strawberries, peaches, carrots, apples, oranges, etc. Oh, dear!

On another note, I didn't manage to get Hunter packed up to go to New Mexico before I went into the hospital to have Tristan. So Dean did that, bless his heart. When Hunter got home and I went through his luggage to put things away, I found that Dean had packed a pair of Kyler's Sunday pants for church, and none of Hunter's. I can only imagine what he must have looked like, in my home town/ward, no less, wearing slacks three sizes too small that must have come up to the middle of his calves. Oh, dear. I would have preferred that he wear shorts or jeans or swim trunks or anything but awfully high water pants...

Results

So Tristan weighed 10lb and 14 oz at his well baby appointment on Monday, at 3.5 weeks. He's growing like a champ! He loves to eat and sleep still, which is great for me!

I took Dean to the ER on Saturday morning; he was in lots of pain and agony from the beating. Sure enough, he has a broken rib. There's no treatment for that . The doctor said "that's just going to hurt for a long time". They gave him a knee stabilizer, a long fabric/velcro cast-looking thing to wear on his leg. He couldn't drive with it on. They gave him percocet for the pain. It really helps the pain, but makes him dizzy and loopy. They set him up with an appointment for an MRI on Monday. He saw an orthopedic physician's assistant on Tuesday, regarding his knee. He has a torn meniscus, and the cartilage is roughed up. That's exactly what leads to a lifetime of arthritis. On Monday after being at work all day, his affected knee was twice the size of the other one, and all he wanted to do was lie down and elevate it. The orthopedic folks gave him a knee brace, which is just over the knee, and allows him more mobility, so I don't have to take him to work and his appointments now. So, they are going to start him on physical therapy twice a week, and then he may need surgery to fix his knee. If so, that would likely make him non deployable. I hope that's what the drill sergeants had in mind when they beat him.

My poor man!

So Dean has been at a combatives course all week at Fort Eustis in Newport News, VA. He knew what it was all about well ahead of time, but it's one of those things that you really can't comprehend until you go through it - much like the pain of labor and child birth I would imagine, which is still fresh in my mind. Thursday was to be the big day where the drill sergeants, and apparently the biggest and baddest guys they could find on the entire base, would gang up and give them each a beat down. The students didn't have any protection, except for the mouth guard and athletic cup he took. They weren't allowed to do anything but try to practice their holds and maneuvers on their attackers - no hitting back, or yelling or anything. It was agonizing and shocking to watch the other classmates (half of them women) take their turns.

Dean is a pretty good sized man at six feet and two hundred pounds, but he said he was thrown around by these guys. They, of course, have been studying these martial arts for years (specifically Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and some form of Russian martial arts), whereas the students have had this week to learn. Anyway, he is in bad shape. He has a concussion, as likely all the students do. They aren't to be taking naps or pain killers either as that's not indicated with concussions. His ribs hurt (I would be surprised if they weren't at least cracked). His knee popped out of joint and is badly swollen. He has what would be an aural hematoma in dogs, perhaps similar to cauliflower ear in people? And he has wounds from head to toe from the entire week, and he is in agonizing pain. I feel terrible for him! And really, I can't tell that there was any real reason for him to go through this. He's not a combat soldier, he's a veterinarian! Apparently his former commander thought it would be a good class for him since he's deploying later this year, so he signed him up. I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger? If he's well enough to drive the 4.5 hours Friday after class he'll come home then. He has a new commander, a female, and Ft. Eustis is the home base, so to speak. So he went to visit her on Wednesday, then she wanted him to come back after class on Thursday as well. She was horrified at how bad he looked on Thursday.

On Tuesday they were choked until they passed out. They had to pass out as part of the training. Supposedly they are supposed to be able to teach the course by the time they are done with it. Whatever. He said on Monday before lunch that I might not have a husband by the end of the week. It looks like I'll have one, but he'll need to be nursed back to health!

In other news, Kyler, Tristan and I went to Raleigh yesterday to pick Hunter up from the airport. I planned ahead and learned how to use a baby bjorn to pack Tristan on my chest, and had the leash for Kyler, which he actually cooperated with. I had Hunter pull his own suitcase to keep him in line. It has wheels, so he managed. Kyler had lots of hugs and kisses for Hunter, and they spent the night (must have been until 11pm) doing their usual antics in their bedroom - bouncing off the walls. I just left well enough alone. Tristan did well in the car, and continues to be a sweetie. Hunter is pretty funny with Tristan. He keeps referring to him as "it": "I think it wants some milk", "Can I hold it?" Both boys think it's pretty strange how baby gets nourishment (from Mommy's boobies). They seemed to think I was joking around at first. Hunter kept calling me "Grandma" on the drive home.

pregnant no more

I would just like to say that I sure enjoy not being pregnant any more! Immediately after giving birth, or maybe more like when the epidural wears off and I can start walking, I marvel at how normal I feel once again and how much more energy I have. I love not having to get up all night, too! Being pregnant just never feels quite normal. I'm down more than 20 pounds already (9 of that was Tristan), with 15 or 20 to go. One of the best parts of nursing is that the weight seems to come right off, though I'm sure it will take a few months. Also, I'm not constantly feeling hot any more, which is a let down for Dean. He loves when I'm pregnant because then we both like the a/c to be set pretty low. Now, I wake up at night shivering because it's cold...



Tristan is a wonderful baby, and we are so happy to have him. He is sleeping pretty well at night, and sleeps much of the day. He gets cuter all the time, in my opinion. This has been the longest it has taken us to have a baby, nearly four years since we had Kyler. Speaking of Kyler, he is learning Baby's cues. He knows that it is better to play loudly "when Baby's eyes are open" than when they are closed, and that if "Baby's mouth is open", he is hungry. Hunter will be home in a couple of days, so he will get to enjoy Tristan and get acquainted as well. It has been more peaceful around here since the boys can't squabble with each other, but Kyler asks about Hunter every day.



Meanwhile, Dean is gone yet again for the week. This time he is in Virginia for a combatives course, in preparation for being deployed. He left Sunday afternoon. It gets a little harder each time he leaves, as it is forboding of the long year to come. He called late this morning to report that he may not survive the week. From how he described it before he left, it sounded like a week of hazing or gang initiation, and sure enough the drill sergeants do not disappoint. He bought an athletic supporter and a mouth guard before he left - clearly some wisdom on his part. By the end of the day he was battered and bruised, and said he'd never sweat so much in his life. He downed a couple of 32 oz gatorades, and as much bottled water as he could find. They were only allowed to drink from a fountain all day. I always marvel at how I am so not cut out for the military. I do fine as a spouse, but I wouldn't see the humor in all that the uniformed folks have to endure!

Last week our desktop computer and Dean's laptop both died. He had just bought the laptop new a couple of months ago. Consumer Reports recommends buying a replacement warranty for laptops, and not much of anything else. It came in handy more than once with his last one, and sure enough he needed it with this new one. The hard drive had died on it, so he got store credit for what he had paid for it, and picked out another one (a better one for a little more money). And he went ahead and bought the warranty for a full three years. The desktop, which I primarily use, had a dead mother board. Funny how that happens - one evening it was working fine, I shut it down, and the next morning it was dead. But at least we were able to salvage the hard drive. Dean put it in the new computer. I'm always suprprised at how much he can do with computers, because he hates doing that kind of stuff, but he sure seems to have a knack for it. I don't! Anyway, I don't see where on the new computer to put the little disk from the camera to put the pictures on the computer and on the blog here, and Dean's gone... so sorry no pictures!

Blossoms

Dean gave me an orchid last year for Mothers Day. It bloomed soon after. And now it is blooming again! My black thumb has perhaps become brown over the years, maybe even with a hint of green. He gave me a couple of more orchids for Valentines Day last year. One has long since been laid to rest, and the other got chewed up by Bob - our cat whom I lost on the 3,000 mile drive from OR to NC last September - that's a story for another time. It is still alive, though (the orchid - can't say for sure about Bob), but hasn't bloomed since it did initially. All the orchids made the trip across country, so it is a wonder any of them are alive.

And, in the garden we've harvested lots of peas, radishes, and now tomatoes. My mom spent a lot of time working in the garden while she was here, which was very nice. She replanted a lot of the squares, and now new things are coming up. The gladioluses are blooming and are beautiful! There are a couple of colors in them, though that may be hard to see in the picture. The dominant color is fuschia, with a lighter shade of pink on the inside of the blossoms.

While here my mom also organized some shelves and closets, worked on my mending pile, completed a couple of sewing projects, had the boys pulling weeds outside, and swept and organized in the garage! Thanks, Mom!

Tristan is doing great, and sleeps most of the day. My milk has come in, so he doesn't need to nurse constantly, although he likes to be latched on for much of the night. If that's what it takes for me to get to sleep overnight, then I don't mind. I got that pacifier out for Tristan to use, and he liked it. Then Kyler came across it and bit the nipple right off. Thanks, kid. That reminds me of nursing him... I lasted 12 months minus 2 days with him. Since Tristan came home Kyler has been a little bit more independent. He made himself a peanut butter and jam sandwich for the first time, and has learned to pour himself soda and juice from the fridge. I don't usually have those around, but I've been having trouble drinking enough, so they help.

Dean had to leave early this morning for the AVMA convention. He was very sad to leave us behind. He'll probably spend a little time at an Army booth. Last year he enjoyed talking with some of the Army vets at the convention, which helped him decide to join, so he's happy to put in some time there. They are required to wear their uniforms while there, so they are easy to spot.

We spent the afternoon and evening yesterday at the beach with Penny and Steve, who are staying in a beach condo until they move away in a couple of weeks. That was fun, and Dean enjoyed boogie boarding for the first time. I sat in a chair with Tristan, who slept the whole time. Penny made some delicious, authentic, Chinese and Philipino food.

The nitty gritty

Well, it was bound to happen and it finally did! Wednesday I was having lots of contractions as usual, but they started getting more uncomfortable and even painful toward the end of the day. With some other clues, and especially some labor pains in my back, we went to the hospital after 10pm. The contractions were really painful by then, and close together. I was dilated to 5, and even threw up. The nurse could tell it was Mexican food, and said that spicy food often helps to get things going. The contractions were excruciating, and I didn't feel like I could walk to the labor and delivery room, so they wheeled me in a chair.

My water broke on its own (first time) by midnight or so, and was full of baby's meconium, which they said means some stress on his part. The contractions always vastly intensify after the water is broken, so it was really fun by then. Dean was most supportive as always. I was begging for the epidural, but having not had much to drink during the day, the nurses were having a hard time getting a vein open to draw blood for a platelet count... It took four sticks to finally get one, then what seemed like forever to get the results back and then call the anesthesiologist. The contractions were terribly frequent, and I kept thinking that it would be worth the epidural to relieve even just one of them. It finally, finally kicked in, and as promised by the anesthesiologist, it didn't numb me by any means, but it made the contractions tolerable. I kept wondering how women have done this all through history without pain relief. With Kyler I only had to endure two contractions after my water was broken before they got the epidural going - and that was enough. This time it seemed like there were dozens, and they hurt bad enough before it broke to make a grown man cry...

So, by the time he was ready to come out, they had about 8 people in the room, because of the meconium business - to be ready to suck it out of him before he aspirated it into his lungs. His heart rate dropped a bit when he was crowning, so they had me breathe through a contraction or two before further pushing. I had an oxygen mask on. Then his head came out, and the cord was wrapped around a couple of times, so they undid that, and I sent the rest of him out. Dean and everyone marvelled at how big he seemed, and sure enough he was nine pounds and one ounce, born at 4:45, Thursday July 2. For some reason the placenta didn't want to come out, so the two residents who delivered Tristan worked on that for a while. They were marveling that I had not torn at all, not even micro tears. I never have - what a blessing! Dean was very sweet the whole time, and teared up as Tristan was born, just as he has done for each of the children. Because of what was going on he wasn't able to cut the cord, but was able to trim it down once they took care of Tristan's initial needs.

Dean trimming the cord to an acceptable length.

They let me have Tristan about 45 minutes after he was born, and he was very happy to start nursing, and latched on like a charm. That wasn't always the case over the next few days while we were in the hospital, but it was a good start and he loves to nurse now (about 20 hours a day it seems). The boys and Grandma Merrill came to see Tristan, and all thought he was great. We were certainly relieved that Grandma got to see him before she left. She was here two weeks, and he was born two days before her flight out. Hunter went with her to NM to spend a couple of weeks.

Now at home Tristan is learning to be content outside the womb. It's taking some getting used to, but he's coming around. Kyler is enthralled with him, and we are teaching him to be gentle. My Shrek feet are deflating, and my mom thought my face was starting to return to a normal size as well. There's still plenty of swelling to lose, especially to be rid of the carpal tunnel pain which still plagues me. Slowly but surely!

It is especially nice to have Dean around. In the Army he gets 10 days of baby leave. He won't be able to use all of it as he is leaving at the end of the week for the AVMA convention in Seattle for a few days, then has to get back to work, but this is vastly more time off than we've ever gotten and it's wonderful! He has been so good doing all the mundane stuff around the house, and helping with Tristan as much as possible, and wrangling Master Kyler.

Daddy and baby taking a break.

Grandma and the boys.

no news

I haven't anything new to report. I'm all ready to go, so we're just waiting for Baby to drop. He's taking his sweet time. I will be 40 weeks tomorrow. My mom has been here for nearly a week, as we all await the blessed event. Dean was supposed to go to Fort Eustis yesterday and get back late tonight, but he was excused by his commander because of my situation. He is supposed to go to Roanoke Rapids, NC tomorrow, but again is excused.

I took my mom and the boys to Wilmington, NC the other day, and stopped by the aquarium. Here I am looking thrilled with life and "big as a barrel", as a door-to-door meat salesman blurted recently as I opened the door. No, I didn't buy any meat from him.



This is an albino alligator, which apparently wouldn't survive in the wild because he has no protection from the sun.

Here's my mom...

Kyler is never at a loss for entertainment and trying potential new styles and trends, such as dishwashing gloves on the feet.

The magnolia trees here have been blooming and they are glorious. Those are white flowers dispersed throughout the tree. I wish it was a better picture.